Bob Corker: Obama 'uncomfortable' as commander in chief

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013, as walks to a closed-door Senate committee meeting on the authorization of the use of force in Syria. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said President Obama is "uncomfortable" in his role as commander in chief and that his awkwardness has damaged his standing internationally and on Capitol Hill.

Tennessee's Sen. Bob Corker told CNN Wednesday that while Obama is a "very confident person" in interpersonal settings, his effectiveness as a communicator — as seen the previous evening when he addressed the nation on Syria — fails on larger audiences.

"He just cannot follow through," the senator said. "He cannot speak to the nation as a commander in chief. He cannot speak to the world as a commander in chief. He just cannot do it. And I don't know what it is."

Corker, who was among a handful of congressional Republicans to support Obama's initial call for military action in Syria, said there was "no question" the president's failings as a communicator in recent days have hurt his credibility with Congress.

"He is a diminished figure here on Capitol Hill. I can assure you of that," he said.